ES2245301T3 - ANTI-FRAUD DEVICE FOR DOCUMENT. - Google Patents

Abstract

The anti fraud document technique has symbols separated in parallel bands (2a,2b). There is a transparent reticle section (4) having two sloping sections. The ink used in the symbols is fluorescent, so that when visible or ultra violet light is shone onto the symbols two different shapes or colors are seen for each symbol.

Description

Anti-fraud document device.

The present invention relates to procedures and devices that prevent manufacturing and circulation of fraudulent documents, in the particular field of paper money, bonds, titles, cards credit, etc.

Procedures and devices are used increasingly complex to discourage fraudsters and counterfeiters

For an exercised eye, the visual exam is always a first effective barrier to detect fakes, despite the multiplication of means of reproduction.

However, in certain transactions, in particular in the hours of affluence, in the boxes of supermarket, etc., the time of examination of the documents, necessarily very short, it allows you to eliminate only the fake enough coarse.

The printing of bills comprising some printed areas with inks containing pigments that react to ultraviolets (emitted for example by a lamp of Wood) is a procedure that allows easy control and Quick.

In some banks, exchange offices and Supermarkets, numerous stalls are otherwise equipped with a control zone that highlights the printed areas fluorescent

However, some fraudsters come to get some deceptive substitutes for this fluorescent effect, from resulting in an effective risk that the operator will be fooled for a satisfactory "global" impression, despite the manifest inadequacy of colors and / or motifs.

This phenomenon is not linked to a lack of attention of the person who carries out the control: also with the withdrawal lighting needed to bring out the fluorescence, the human eye works in abnormal conditions, no familiar landmarks (colors, position, shape).

In addition, the status of the documents examined Given its handling conditions, it causes false alerts frequent.

Therefore, a procedure of fast control that does not present the described inconveniences previously.

The object of the invention is to restore the public confidence, particularly in paper money, for the placing on the market a fast and reliable control procedure of the authenticity of documents.

Another object of the invention is a process. that puts counterfeit protected documents out of reach of most fraudsters.

It is known in particular from US 5 695 346 a printing procedure in which two motives forms are distributed according to a specific step in thin bands and printed side by side alternating bands of one and the other reason.

The "dual" motif obtained is coated by a reticulated transparent layer, which presents a network whose passage corresponds to the distribution of motives, which allows observe, according to the angle of observation, only one of these two reasons.

Such a procedure is used since long time ago to create a relief effect, some images changing (in particular of postcards), etc.

However, this visual procedure has been abandoned as inefficient for the authentication of documents in the field of paper money, etc., due to its rapid degradation. In addition, the crosslinked layer is relatively thick and easily separates from its support. On the other hand, although of a delicate use, the application of this layer would not a priori be a sufficient obstacle for well-equipped fraudsters.

The use of inks with photochromic pigments, whose color changes reversibly under The action of light. This property allows to detect documents false when in-depth exams take place. The return very Gradual pigments towards their source color and level ambient light variable does not allow however to exploit this property when a quick transaction takes place.

The object of the invention is a device anti-fraud for a document that includes a support and at least two motives applied to said support, these motives being distributed in bands according to a certain step, said bands arranged side by side in alternation; a Cape transparent crosslinked with optical effect, corresponding pitch to the one of the bands, it is applied on these at least two reasons. Due to its physical characteristics, this layer leaves appear, according to the angle of observation, only one of these so minus two reasons; according to the invention, the inks used for perform these at least two reasons contain some pigments fluorescent or photochromic and the layer is transparent to the radiation that activates these pigments, that is respectively at ultraviolet or visible light, so when the device is subjected to a U.V. and / or luminous of high intensity, these at least two motives give at least two angles different non-similar images by shape, dimension and / or color, possibly containing exploitable information for document verification.

Combining different technologies, being at same simple time to perform, the device of the invention puts out of reach of fraudsters, and especially of occasional fraudsters, the making of forged documents Of convincing aspect.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the outer surface of the crosslinked layer has reliefs of prismatic section; it can also have reliefs of lenticular section, which form the magnifying glass effect. This layer crosslinked can be obtained by hot stamping a radiation transparent polymer material that activates these pigments, that is to visible light and / or UV rays.

The reasons applied to the support can be constituted in particular by parallel bands or bands concentric

Another object of the invention is an optical reader. for a device such as the one described above, which understands:

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a camera,

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a radiation source U.V. and / or luminous of high intensity,

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a reference plane arranged in front of the source of radiation,

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some position sensing means,

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a corresponding radiation sensitive optical detection system at the wavelength emitted by fluorescent pigments or photochromic, which comprises at least one optical detector, arranged so that it captures said radiation at angles appropriate when a support provided with the device is placed in proper position in the reference plane.

The optical detection system comprises advantageously at least two optical detectors; can also resort to optical forwarding devices such as ones mirrors or others.

The object of the invention is also the document authentication procedure comprising the following operations:

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elaborate at least two reasons,

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distribute these at least two reasons in bands according to a certain step,

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alternately print bands that these form at least two reasons on a support with the help of inks containing fluorescent pigments and / or photochromic,

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form a crosslinked layer transparent to the radiation that activates these pigments, that is to say visible light and / or UV, equipped with a step corresponding to that of the bands of these at least two reasons,

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apply the articulated layer on the por at least two reasons so that they appear under radiation appropriate, according to the angle of observation, only one of these so minus two reasons,

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submit the document so treated to a source of UV radiation and / or high visible light intensity,

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verify the distinct presence of these At least two reasons.

Verification can be accompanied if necessary of a comparison with reference signals.

The forming of the optical layer is advantageously made for example by stamping, after application of a layer of a polymer material on the support.

Even leaving aside the problems linked to provision of special inks, etc., the device of the invention causes a very increased number of difficulties to the disappointing candidates.

An advantage of the invention is that it can be also use existing UV checkpoints.

If you compare the effect obtained with a document protected from the invention when a visual control takes place with ultraviolet light with respect to that of a "classic" document that uses UV pigments, the operator is not already facing a indistinct constellation of control points but at a configuration with net color and / or shape transition, discernible even in peripheral vision, even if the document is very altered The images that appear when the control takes place they may also contain relative coded information, by example, to the production series of the document.

When inks with photochromic pigments are used, the use of a high intensity source (metal vapor lamp, flash ) also provides an unequivocal transition, whatever the ambient light level.

Not serving the device for a control primary visual, the quality of the generated images has relatively unimportant, what makes this kind of protection little sensitive to degradation.

In addition to the fact that it facilitates control Quick visual, the device can be easily folded by a checkpoint, automated if necessary. The device of the invention is preferably used as a complement to others means of fraud prevention, without interfering with them.

Other particularities and advantages of the invention will stand out from the following description of embodiments Particular of the invention, referring to the drawings annexes, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of two reasons;

Fig. 2 is also a printing plane in alternating bands of the two motifs in fig. 1 on a support;

Fig. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a document provided with the device of the invention subjected to exam;

Fig. 4 is a schematic sectional view of the document of fig. 3 arranged in an optical reader.

Fig. 1 shows two reasons 1A and 1B that they differ here from each other by orientation and color (striped and dotted).

Each of these motifs 1A and 1B is divided in parallel bands 2a, 2b according to an identical step.

Fig. 2 shows the way in which bands 2a and 2b that form these two motifs are printed on a support: the respective bands of each of the motifs are arranged side by side in alternation.

The inks used for printing the two motifs are loaded with pigments that, subject to the action of an ultraviolet radiation, emit a radiation in the visible and / or photochromic pigments, whose color changes depending on the amount of light received

Fig. 3 illustrates, out of scale, the principle of device operation.

The support 3 on which are printed the alternating bands 2a, 2b is placed in a chamber illuminated by a ultraviolet light source.

A crosslinked layer 4, constituted here by a film of polymer material transparent to visible light and ultraviolet whose outer surface has, in section, about Prismatic reliefs 5, is applied on the support 3.

The reliefs 5 of the articulated layer 4 follow one another according to a step corresponding to that of the alternating bands 2a, 2b. The characteristics of the crosslinked layer 4 (thickness, index of refraction, inclination of facets 5) are calculated so that only perceive under a certain angle (? or β), under the control conditions only one of the two reasons 1A or 1B.

Fig. 3 illustrates the principle of control, both visual as automated, of the authenticity of a document.

The support 3 provided with the device is placed in a partially hidden area or chamber and subjected to a intense UV or light radiation Being each of the reasons contrasted as 1A, 1B visible only under a certain angle, a pivoting the reference plane 6 of the document allows the operator unequivocally verify the authenticity of the document.

In the case of inks with photochromic pigments, the variation in the color of a motif is a function of the energy provided in light to the pigments. This energy can be contributed by a short wavelength radiation (and therefore energy) or by intense exposure to less energetic radiation. The source used can be a metal vapor or discharge lamp ( flash ).

In an automated version of the same control, depicted in fig. 4, it is resorted, rather than to the eye of the observer, to two optical sensors 8, 10 arranged in the chamber control at an appropriate angle (? or?) with with respect to the reference plane 6. If necessary. Some cuts can be made among the information collected by the sensors 8, 10 and other features of the document. Can be on the other hand use optical forwarding devices, such like mirrors, prisms, etc.

Of course, several devices can be applied on the same document, and that several pairs of sensors can be arranged in the chamber and that you can use the fluorescent or photochromic pigments together or distinctly.

In figs. 1 to 3, the number of the reasons different has been, for reasons of clarity, limited to two, but of course this principle is valid if more are used of two reasons. In this case, the shape of the crosslinked layer is adapted so that the N motifs appear differently under as many corresponding angles under radiation appropriate.

The crosslinked layer may, on the other hand, be shaped according to a complex relief that allows each of the motifs under a plurality of angles α and β.

A detection medium (not shown), bound eventually to a drag means, control the position of the document regarding the collectors.

The optical reader can also be provided, based on the criteria stated above, of More than two sensors.

Each motive or its combination can also Support your own code (such as a barcode) of the document or, for example, of its manufacturing series.

Claims (10)

1. Anti-fraud device for document that understands:

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a support,

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for the at least two reasons applied to said support, these being motifs distributed in bands according to a certain step, being said bands arranged side by side in alternation,

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a crosslinked transparent layer, which has a corresponding step to the previous one, applied on these at least two reasons, so so that it appears, according to the angle of observation, only one of these at least two reasons,

characterized because

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the inks used to make these at least two reasons they contain fluorescent or photochromic pigments,

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the articulated layer is transparent to the radiation that activates these pigments,

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when The device is subjected to high UV or visible radiation intensity these at least two motives give at least two reasons different angles some images not similar by the form, the dimension and / or color.

2. Anti-fraud device according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer surface of the crosslinked transparent layer has reliefs of prismatic section. 3. Anti-fraud device according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer surface of the layer has reliefs of lenticular section. 4. Anti-fraud device according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the shape of the crosslinked layer is obtained by hot stamping. 5. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one pattern is formed by parallel bands. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the at least one motive is constituted by concentric bands. 7. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the images formed contains encoded information. 8. Optical reader for a document provided with a device according to any of the claims
previous, characterized in that it comprises:

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a camera,

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a source of UV radiation, and / or visible high intensity,

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a reference plane arranged in front of the source of radiation,

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some position sensing means,

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a corresponding radiation sensitive optical detection system at the wavelength emitted by fluorescent pigments or photochromic, which comprises at least one optical detector arranged so that it captures said radiation at angles appropriate when a support provided with the device is placed in proper position in the reference plane.

9. Document authentication procedure, characterized in that it comprises the following operations:

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elaborate at least two reasons,

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distribute these at least two reasons in bands according to a certain step,

-

alternately print bands that these form at least two reasons on a support with the help of inks containing fluorescent pigments and / or photochromic,

-

form a crosslinked layer transparent to the radiation that activates these pigments equipped with a corresponding to that of the bands of these at least two reasons,

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apply the crosslinked layer on the at least two reasons so that they appear under radiation appropriate, according to the angle of observation, only one of these so minus two reasons,

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submit the document so treated to a source of UV radiation and / or high visible light intensity,

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verify the distinct presence of these At least two reasons.

10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the forming of the crosslinked layer is performed after application of a layer of a polymer material on the support.